Panic
by QuiteQuiet
Summary: Blake and Yang ambush a sounder of Boarbatusk. The resulting battle becomes more than they bargained for, and Blake fears she may have hidden her feelings for Yang just a second too late. [BREAKING NEWS: "Panic" wins an award for being the second most dramatic and unnecessary RWBY fanfiction I have ever written. And I used to be painfully awkward.]


_**Author's Note: Hey all, decided to drop in with another fanfiction. An action-packed one that shows I'm not terribly versed in writing action.  
**_

 _ **Veteran readers may have picked up some of my White Rose and Bumbleby stories intertwine in one timeline. I wanted to add one where Blake and Yang come together, so resulting in this one-shot. Bumbleby shippers, please enjoy.**_

 _ **Also, I needed Google to find out how to spell "Taijitu".**_

* * *

Shuffling low on her belly, Blake moved across the field with hardly a sound. She kept steady pace on her way through the stalks of yellow grass, only pausing in the moments she heard a rustle more than a few feet away. Then she'd freeze, eyes darting to catch the source of the noise. The foliage had engulfed her as she'd entered the field, but the extra cover couldn't be counted on as enough when going against the keen instincts of the Grimm.

Blake crawled through another yard of grass, having grown long used to the way it scratched her skin. She halted at the throaty choke of a crow, turning up her eyes as the familiar black shape glided past. She couldn't tell if the bird was a Nevermore but pressed farther down regardless, hoping she hadn't been seen. She wasn't close enough for an ambush, and she wanted to surprise the gathered Grimm as much as possible.

There was a glint beside her, and Blake flicked her eyes to the metal on her partner's forearm. Yang crawled along the field on her elbows, her silence hinting to Blake she was concentrated on the mission. The grass shook only a little from her presence. Yang's stealth was not as fine as Blake's, but she had improved since the crashing bravado of her first year at Beacon Academy and was doing an admirable job putting her skills to use. She had stopped too after Blake, trusting the Faunus' experience in the wild to guide them.

Blake held her breath but heard no more, and nodded. Yang nodded back and kept going, pushing through each blade that threaded through her long golden hair. They continued their route toward the half-dozen hogs in the field's circular clearing.

It was Blake who'd seen them as the team set up camp in a craggy curve on the mountains. Time and weather had eaten the back, curving it into a cranny handy for scouting and rest. After Blake had pointed out the quarry of their first unsupervised mission, Ruby magnified them through the lens of her rifle. She'd looked at them with unsettlingly complete focus, then lowered the weapon and said, "Boarbatusk."

"Hard to hit the belly from up here," Yang had said, patting her own with two fingers for emphasis. "Spare your bullets, sis. Blake, you think we can handle this?"

"Sure," said Blake. Ruby had crossed her legs beneath the curve, cradling Crescent Rose in her lap. Weiss went over after putting their supplies together and started smoothing out the bunches in Ruby's hood.

"What are you doing?"

"Fixing your hood. Doesn't it get uncomfortable bundled up like that?"

"Like that really matters on a hunt."

"Keep chatting away like that and the Grimm will hear us across the mountain," interrupted Yang. She reached for her backpack, pulled out a rectangular object dangling from a strap, and looped it around Weiss's neck. Weiss held it up.

"Is this your camera?"

"This week's photography lesson is 'Action and Movement'," Yang had said. "When Blake and I start trashing that camp, could you get a couple shots in? You can use one for your assignment." Weiss's face had been somewhere between disgust and disbelief, but in the end, a freebie for the elective they all retook and regretted won over her trademark perfectionism.

"Fine," she'd said. "But if something happens and we have to save you, don't blame me if it gets broken."

"Do you think if it did she would get out of the class?" Ruby had asked.

Whatever Weiss had to say to that Blake didn't hear, as she and Yang were headed down the rocky trail of the mountain. They didn't speak; they had spent enough time together as bunkmates and friends to know how to support each other in a fight. The mountain stone clacked and crunched under their feet until they'd reached the wide expanse of field. They'd sunk low to the grass, Blake giving Yang an embarrassed squeeze on the hand for good luck before they did. They'd inched toward the Boarbatusk over a half-hour and now, only 100 feet away from the grunting creatures, Blake could see six loafing idle but still with beady red eyes alert to movement. Blake pushed away the base of a grass stalk in front of her and studied the clearing's ground. Parts of it had been flattened in a winding trail, thick and tubelike, and wider than train tracks. Blake hissed, "King Taijitu," and as she did, the Boarbatusk standing closest to her pricked its ears and turned in her direction.

Blake froze and fixed her sight on the Boarbatusk poking into the tall grass. Her arm hovered over the weapon fastened around her back. Beside her Yang was sweeping the area, formulating a plan of attack.

The Boarbatusk was haunch-deep into the field. Blake smelled a faint reek of death hovering over its black body. A few steps more and she would be staring into its snout. Blake kept her mind still, and her heart tremoring.

The instant twin tusks pushed into view she leapt forward, shearing grass with her weapon in one diagonal sweep. The Boarbatusk shrieked only in surprise before it regained its guard and charged. Blake dodged to the right, aiming her guns at the beast's snout. She'd seen a raw scar above the snout's pointy tip—certainly from her blade, and if she hit there again, maybe the Grimm would flinch enough to fall.

She fixed her aim, but before she could fire a huge force rammed into her back, sending her three feet in the air. The grass rushed up and she cried out, curling in a brace. The field swallowed her and she flailed, hearing grass thrash in her wake. Halfway down the stalks she grabbed two fistfuls and yanked, some pulling out by the roots as they broke her fall. She gasped out a breath and put one hand on the ground. Ahead there was the sound of bullets being fired, and as the smoke began to mingle with the screeches of a fight, Blake knew Yang had distracted the Boarbatusk that had attacked her.

Blake stood, slicing a patch of grass as she surged towards the Grimm. Seeing her clearly now the Boarbatusk turned, stomping and shrieking before they charged. As they ran they leaned forward, hunching tight into the signature balls that could plow through concrete. Blake flung Gambol Shroud by the ribbon, sweeping a sideways arc that knocked a couple down mid-curl. The final Boarbatusk squealed as the blade dug into the sliver of unguarded flesh below its left eye. It jerked its head, tugging Blake forward. Blake dug her heels into the ground and took shaky aim, spraying bullets across its face. Some bounced laughably off its thick skeletal mask but others hit the mark, and the instant it took for the Boarbatusk to shake the annoyances to its eyes and snout was enough for Blake to launch her weapon again. She rounded it towards herself, a murky wisp releasing from the Boarbatusk into the air.

She heard Yang yell, and turned in time to see the blond heave a Boarbatusk over her head. She pushed up, firing her gauntlets for a boost as she Grimm was thrown into the sky. It struggled, its feet clawing air, then squealed a final time as Yang leapt up to wallop its stomach. The Boarbatusk hit ground and exploded into black vapor.

The others jumped into balls. Blake and Yang looked at each other this time, then nodded. The Grimm drove at them in a row, forcing them to split. Blake felt the wind in her face as one hurled past an inch away. Each beast missed, and as they pivoted to redirect, Blake threw Gambol Shroud once more, the wicked blade of its gun passing into view above the grass. Yang jumped to grab it, and Blake whirled about, feeling a burst of relief when her end of the weapon vibrated from impact. Yang had fired a bullet behind the second Boarbatusk in the row, hitting the first on the mouth and using the recoil to propel herself forward. The boost helped hit her real target, and the remaining four Boarbatusk scattered as Yang and her quarry barreled into the clearing. Blake backed up as they fought, keeping her weapon trained on the regrouping Grimm. There was the sound of metal clinking on bone. One of the loose Boarbatusk ran forward, and Blake retracted her guns, rushing over to land a kick squarely on its mask. At the same time she reopened fire into its mouth. The beast, stunned from Blake's initial strike, had dropped it open, and in the tense second before it exploded, Blake used her foothold to leap backwards. She landed in the clearing just as Yang shot-punched the third Boarbatusk into oblivion.

The stomping of the remaining half made the earth tremble. Blake moved a foot forward, her heartbeats quick. She and Yang readied themselves for the next round.

The parties ran toward each other, but right before they hit the clearing, the Boarbatusk suddenly stopped and dashed away. They didn't go too far, remaining in sight, but they settled into an uneasy stillness from that distance, their eyes on the space around the girls. They waited.

Blake and Yang stood poised but nothing happened. They straightened, grips on their weapons loosening, until the gathered Boarbatusk made chuffed snorting sounds and lowered their bodies. It was then that Blake's gears clicked, and she said, "Is there something else?"

It was then that a gigantic crash razed the field, storming grass across the clearing. Blake and Yang covered their faces, and in the flashes of debris that flew by, Blake saw the cylindrical smoothness of a white King Taijitu sliding its massive frame around her side of the clearing. The black half rounded on Yang, and when they were corralled, both sides of the serpent raised, its heads still for an instant before it struck. Blake leapt straight up, winded by the speed. She looked down to see Yang grappling the black snake by the fangs. Briefly she released hold on one to shoot the white snake that was recovering from its smash into the grass. Blake flipped and fired a row of bullets down the monster's body, trying to hit the spine. The Taijitu shook them away, its scales too thick for the faraway projectiles.

Blake shifted her weight towards the ground, turning her hands up in preparation for a hit. She threw the weapon seconds into her descent, watching the ribbon plunge into the white beast's neck. The ribbon stuck tight when it landed and she jerked a bit; surprised, the Taijitu curled its head around to look, and as Blake headed right for the snake's gaping maw, she fired her free gun into the back of its throat.

It retched, if Grimm could retch; tossing with a strangled shriek, it finally dropped to the grass. Blake landed on its head and tossed her ribbon, catching the dislodged gun in her free hand. The snake shuddered under her, a signal it was not yet done. Blake tore out a shadow of herself as she escaped the hit, leaving behind a filmy illusion that disappeared like shattered glass in the Taijitu mouth. Yang had also activated her Semblance, having been thumped several times by the snake's second thrashing head. Blake could see the fire build up around her, brimming with a dangerously promised heat as Yang's skin began to light. The Taijitu lowered its head, struggling against Yang's force to bend its neck. Yang released a hand to deliver a smashing blow to the nose, orange flares bursting between scale and fist. The creature roared and shoved backwards into the air. Blake heard the Boarbatusk stamp the ground in restlessness. She bit her lip and shot the snake's eye, giving her and Yang time to duck into the grass.

They kept low, fanning out to separate. Blake's heartbeat rushed a million miles an hour. She did not know where Yang was, only that the snake was around, so she stayed quiet. A minute passed before the black Taijitu raised above the field. It hovered in a sway, a giant forked tongue slipping out and in its mouth, then caught scent of Blake and turned her way. Blake fired again, and continued firing. The miniature explosions from the snake's other side let her know Yang was attacking too, and after a few more seconds, the beast tossed again and landed with a whump that shook the earth.

Yang tore through the grass, meeting with Blake between the earth where the snake had fallen. They both looked at it, exhausted, until with a sudden rustle the King Taijitu's beaten half dragged away from the girls. They stayed with weapons at the ready, watching the limp snake disappear into the grass. It was not until a winding trail of it started parting behind Yang that Blake remembered with dread the fight was not yet done. The white snake pillared with incredible speed behind Yang, and before Blake could make a noise, it struck down and snapped up the blond with a gulp.

Blake cried out, horrified; as her partner vanished. The King Taijitu jerked its head back more slowly, two small curves folding into its neck and back as settled to eat its catch with reptilian focus. Blake stood frozen, glasslike, before a thousand whirlwinds of emotion crashed through her. She stumbled on her leap out, throwing her weapon lamely in the beast's direction. It jumbled by in a heap, missing by a long shot. The King Taijitu's chin undulated before the snake turned without concern. Blake choked again and flung her weapon back, catching it in her arm before bracing to face the boars closing in behind her.

The second before she did, however, the Taijitu jerked and went still. Its great head turned toward its belly. Blake stopped mid-turn, her eyes trained on the same spot.

All of a sudden there was a muffled burst, and then the Taijitu jerked wildly, frantic from something within. There was another burst ending with a crackle Blake had heard so many times before. She gasped and spun on her other opponents, darting low to shoot their legs while her heart flooded with relief.

The Boarbatusk flinched at the shots, injured enough to wobble and prevent their transformation. Blake screamed and sped forward, slashing the boars right under the chin. They slumped in a row, their bloodless throats agape before they disappeared into nothing. Blake spun to the King Taijitu, which was still violently bewildered. Blake flung out Gambol Shroud for the last time that hunt, digging it just a couple inches into the snake's belly. She sucked in a swallow and shoved her weapon down, making a jagged cut through the beast. Blake didn't know if it was deep enough, until behind it she saw the tiniest sliver of gold.

It grew more vibrant, then exploded, sparking furiously inside the Taijitu with a wave of heat. When flash disappeared from Blake's vision, she saw Yang standing with both arms in the air, her body aflame in the snake's disintegrating stomach. She walked out patting grime off her shoulders as the Taijitu toppled from its weight, flaying away as it fell. Yang looked back at it, then turned to Blake in the distance and thrust a fist in victory.

A dam burst in Blake's chest. "Yang!" She barreled over, her feet light and shaky. Yang had raised an eyebrow in surprise, then stumbled backwards as Blake threw herself onto Yang's shoulder. She squeezed in deep, her tears running down Yang's chest. She sniffed in, then pulled away laughing. "You smell like you haven't showered in a week."

"Comes with getting swallowed by a King Taijitu," said Yang. "I tried punching the heart, but it was rough with what little room I had. Snakes were made to constrict, you know what I'm saying?" Blake felt a weight on her tongue and nodded. She held on to Yang again.

They made it back to camp, where Ruby tackled Yang to the ground. Weiss watched her academy partner nearly strangle her sister to death in relief, then came forward, running her fingers across Yang's camera.

"Are you guys all right?"

"Better than alright," said Blake.

After another minute of her reverse death squeeze, Ruby rolled off of Yang. Weiss took off the camera and offered it down.

"I wouldn't turn in the one of you being eaten, but probably at least half of these won't be too blurry to use."

"Great." Yang gave Weiss a thumbs-up, weakly, from her spot on the curve. "And if it's not, I'll just say I thought 'movement' meant as fast as possible."

She folded her hands behind her head and went to sleep. Blake smiled and went to look for a body of water.

* * *

"I'm just saying, Blake, you could have _told_ me."

"It was worse than baking carrion," said Blake. She shifted her feet. They were back in the dorm room, dangling their legs off Yang's bed.

"So you just dump a bucket of cold water on me without warning?"

"Weiss said she couldn't stand the smell any longer. If that didn't wake you, no noise would."

"I didn't even hear her," said Yang.

"Well," said Blake. Her eyes rolled to the side. "She said it quietly."

"And Ruby was pounding the ground the second it hit me. Three against one, Blake. That's brutal."

They had returned from the trip a few hours ago. Ruby and Weiss had dropped their things off at the dorm and fled, saving unpacking for after they refilled themselves with cafeteria food. Since then Blake had been high up looking at the floor, a small smile on her face. Then she blinked, and the smile went away.

"Yang?" she said, in a more unsure voice than usual. It sounded like a prelude, and Yang turned to listen.

"I…" She'd recited it, cut out parts time and again to rewrite the perfect speech, "It worried me when you got swallowed, and I thought you died, and I was scared. I was scared I'd waited too long, and that you'd never hear me say…"

"Say what?" asked Yang.

A tinge of red appeared on Blake's face. "That you mean a lot to me." Her fingernails scratched the knees under her tights.

"Well," said Yang. "We did make eye contact in the forest. We were meant to mean something to each other." It took her a while to say this. She set her palms on either side of herself, her feet pointed downward and pedaling little dips in the air.

Blake closed her hands into fists. She raised them to her lap, gently reopening them. For another few moments they sat there on the bed.

They turned to each other at the same time. Blake said, "Movie?" and Yang said, "I was going to ask the same thing?" and Blake said, "When?"

"I don't know. What movie? Where?"

"I don't know."

"Uh…" Yang slipped her scroll out of her pocket and tapped open the Internet. "Tuesday has student discount down at the multiplex."

"Where is that?" Blake leaned beside Yang's shoulder. Yang leaned back, showing her.

"It's in town, by the docks."

"With a student discount."

"Yes."

"And we'll find…something. I don't know what to watch."

"And dinner afterward?"

Blake stumbled at the words, and she looked up at Yang. The blond's eyes were completely sincere.

"Yes," she said. "Dinner afterward."

"Sounds good."

"Right."

They turned away, taking it in. A few moments later, Blake's hand slid across the blanket and twined with Yang's.

* * *

At midnight she smacked Yang out of sleep. Getting swallowed like that, she should have been more alert.


End file.
